Danganronpa: End of Twilight
by Calix Machiavelli
Summary: The Hope's Peak Reserve Course is greeted by a new student who appears to be anything but pleasant. Natsumi Kuzuryu enlists the help of a fellow student to help her become the Ultimate Little Sister. AU Twilight Murder Syndrome Case. Hajime x Natsumi and Nagito x Hope. (Spoilers for Danganronpa 2)
1. Day 1: The New Student

**A/N:**

 **Posted:** **August 20th, 2016**  
 **Last Updated: ****August 20th, 2016**  
 **Views as of Posting: ****0**

 **My first story on Danganronpa! This is a novelization of the Twilight Murder Syndrome Case. I'm planning to make ten chapters of this work.**

 **Really enjoying the DR3 Anime: Despair Arc right now- lots of juicy information on Hope's Peak Academy. I felt like writing a bit of Hajime x Natsumi and Hajime x Chiaki. Nagito the Ultimate Bullshit's abilities seem fun too.**

 **My other fanfiction(s) are having some romance soon and, since I'm not too familiar with the genre, I'll practice it here. I guess…**

 **This story assumes you've seen up to Danganronpa 3 Despair Arc, Episode 3: Beginning of the Twilight. You should have also (obviously) played the second Danganronpa Game: Goodbye Despair to know about the Twilight Murder Syndrome Case. So yeah, spoilers for those two things.**

 **Only Day 1 contains in-anime dialogue; consider it a small refresher on Natsumi's arrival.**

 **Now, onto the story…**

* * *

Day 1: The New Student [Hajime]

It was another boring, uneventful day.

The reserve course student stared at his right hand. It was just a normal boy's hand- it could write, throw, and even type. Some unlucky people in the world were born, knowing they will never get their hands to perform any of those things. Others used to be able, but through age, disease, or some freak accident, they lost that ability as well. The world they were born in was unfair. Cruel. Undeserving.

But despite the setbacks of the many, there are the few who triumph. There are hands that throw harder, program faster, cook better, and reach further. There are hands and brains that accomplish what others cannot do. They push forward the human race. Indeed, these talented individuals are the nation's hope. They are the Ultimates attending Hope's Peak Academy.

Hajime sighed as his mind continued to drift off from the lecture. There was only a week's time until the project deadline. He could either leave his cocoon of remarkableness and join the Primary Department, or drop out of the academy altogether. But, no matter how much he wanted-

"I will now introduce a new transfer student."

His thoughts were interrupted by his teacher. Hajime stopped leaning on his arm and looked up in interest. Within the poorly-lit room was a blonde girl in the traditional school uniform. She stepped out of the shadow covering her face, grinning at her new classmates. The reserve course student blinked. It's been a while since someone new transferred in.

"Hello, I am Natsumi Kuzuryu." The girl bowed respectfully.

Her introduction washed away Hajime's attention. The transfer student was of average height and demeanor. Her green eyes didn't stand out much on her face and her soft voice wasn't doing any favors moreover. Natsumi was going to be another inconspicuous student, just like him.

"I don't know why I've been put with trash like you, but…"

 _(Wait, what?)_

Hajime raised his head immediately. He never heard that kind of address before, especially in front of the entire class. The transfer student shattered all of his assumptions as quickly as he made them. The girl's smile turned into a small smirk as her eyes scanned the dumbfounded students.

"… Well, nice to meet you." She finished.

Her face turned smug, as if expecting some sort of applause.

"Er, thank you for the introduction." The homeroom teacher scratched his head, "Your seat will be that empty desk over there. Welcome to Hope's Peak Academy."

Natsumi walked at a brisk pace towards the desk, not making eye contact with the curious students gazing at her. Hinata pulled at his shirt collar and looked back at the window. The transfer student was sitting in the same row. Only a single desk separated them.

 _(Thank goodness it wasn't closer_. _…)_

Annoyingly, she was just another reserve course student. Natsumi thinks she's above everyone and tried to make a unique entrance, but in the end they were all the same. She wasn't a High School Ultimate. There was no reason to get excited.

The teacher returned to the textbook. "Ok, returning to methods of nonlinear second-order, differential equations, we have y double-dash is equal to function f of x, y, and y dash…"

The reserve course student began dozing off again. His eyes wandered back at the main building of Hope's Peak Academy, where his heart thirsted for. Calculus went by in a flash, just like always.

* * *

Hajime took a bite out of his raisin bread. He continued staring at the large building. Break time was usually the only time he got to socialize with his friends, but Mikio and Noboru were busy working together on a social science project. The other students broke off into small groups, chatting among themselves about an English test next week. Hajime gave a squeeze at his Genji "Dewicious" Milk.

"Hey…"

 _(Do not feel normalcy)_

Former headmaster Kazuo Tengan's smiling face returned to his mind as he chewed. Being normal didn't seem bad- it was one of the only things he was good at. The adviser to the very school objecting to the project was a huge red flag. For some reason, it only made the prospect more alluring.

He looked down at his table. "Seven days left." He murmured to himself.

"Hey, I'm talking to you."

"Hmm?" Hajime swallowed and looked up.

That damn transfer student was standing next to his desk, looking at him. Hajime gave a muted grunt of disappointment. The "pleasant" new girl wanted to talk. If she wanted to take his window seat, she would have to try a lot harder than that. He stared up at an impatient Natsumi. Her cheeks were a lot rosier up close, and her complexion appeared sort of delicate.

"You're always gazing at the Main Course building." She scoffed.

Hajime straightened his posture and put down his food. "Yeah, so what?"

"I'll bet you have no friends!" Natsumi sat down on the desk next to him, "Not that I do, either."

 _(T-this girl!)_

Her young face definitely betrayed her personality. The reserve course student turned his head both ways, to see if anyone else was witnessing this awkward situation. A few people around them noticed, but they didn't pay much attention.

"Well, yeah." Hajime coughed, "Not if that's how you say hello to people."

"I was serious!" Natsumi exclaimed.

Hajime lowered his head in irritation. This girl had a major attitude problem. Someone in administration cruelly condemned him to this conversation. Where was the hidden camera? The emergency exit?

"I mean, I'm the Ultimate Little Sister, after all!" she continued.

"Huh?"

 _(More like the Ultimate Sass)_

He barely restrained himself from blurting out those words.

"You must have heard of us. The criminal organization with over thirty thousand members- the Kuzuryu Clan!"

"Kuzuryu? No, you can't mean…"

Now he realized why her last name sounded so familiar. The Kuzuryu Clan- feared crime syndicate of Mainland Japan and abroad. Most of their activities were underground, but for someone to claim they're a member so easily is absurd. Then again, her behavior started making a bit more sense.

Natsumi narrowed her eyes. "That's right! The Kuzuryu Clan is my family. And, my big brother is the heir apparent, the Ultimate Yakuza!"

"Seriously?"

 _(There is such a thing?!)_

Could something as obscure as inheritance or kinship be considered a talent? If so, the amount of talent distributed around the world was a lot more unbalanced than he first thought. Hajime picked up his piece of bread again. He didn't want to admit it, but he took general interest in her backstory.

"And with an incredible big brother like that, it means I'm an Ultimate Little Sister! See? Makes perfect sense, right?" Natsumi leaned back on the desk smugly.

 _(Her "little sister-ness" was anything but ultimate.)_

"But considering you've come to the Reserve Course, you weren't scouted for the main course, huh?" Hajime commented.

"That doesn't mean I have no talent yet!" She retorted, "Maybe you've given up already."

Hajime tensed his shoulders, and gradually loosened them again. There was no other way she would respond. Still, Natsumi's words hit. Hard. Keeping up with the rigorous studies was already hard enough, but developing a talent along with his grades? At that pace, it was nearly impossible.

"I…" He gritted his teeth, "I can still…"

"I'm not like them." The girl interrupted, uninterested in his response. "I'll do whatever it takes to get into the Main Course!"

 _(Easier said than done…)_

Natsumi's proclamation was no different from all of the others in the class. It was everyone's dream to get into the Main Course and join the Ultimates. However, her words had a passion Hajime never seen before. He stared at the girl, bewildered.

"I'll bet if someone in the Main Course were to quit, I could fill their open space!" She winked mischievously, "Like a certain girl with freckles I hate, or…"

"Good luck with that." Hajime took another bite from his bread, "You still have over two thousand reserve course students to climb over."

"Wow, you really don't have ambition, do you?" Natsumi sneered.

A hand suddenly slammed on Hajime's desk, shaking around his drink. He haphazardly held onto his milk carton to prevent it from falling over. Natsumi looked up as well, startled by the move.

"Natsumi!" A girl with long black hair said, "You'd better not be planning anything weird, ok?"

"Hey, it's Sato…" The transferee said, bemused.

Hajime swallowed. Sato was a classmate he barely talked to, and he knew almost nothing about her. A plain-looking female by all standards, she always leaves the classroom to eat with some other girl from the Main Course.

They were apparently friends from a photography club or something alike. Her tall stature made her look intimidating once she gets angry.

"Long time no see." Natsumi smiled, "What? Were you eavesdropping on us?"

"Just answer me!" Sato demanded, "You're not plotting something weird again, are you?"

"Huh? What do you mean by 'something weird'?"

The transferee leaned back on the desk. Sato scrunched her face in ire, as if she knew Natsumi was hiding something. Hajime couldn't take it anymore- all he wanted to do was to eat his damn food in peace.

"Do you two… know each other?" He offered, trying to advance the conversation.

"Not really!" Natsumi giggled, "At my last school, we were just in the same photography club."

 _(Ah, I guess I was right…)_

"If you do anything to Mahiru, I'll never let you get away with it!"

Sato leaned closer to the new girls face. Natsumi leaned in even closer, unfazed by her opponent. Hajime looked around frantically for the homeroom teacher.

"Don't you just strut up to me and start spewing nonsense!"

"I'm telling you to drop your weird scheme!"

"Don't get so familiar with me, you Plain Jane!" Natsumi cursed.

"Oi, stop shaking my desk." Hajime said resignedly.

On the bright side, at least he could tell Mikio and Noboru he ended up with two girls coming up to him during break. It wouldn't be anywhere near as exciting as they would think, but it was something. With no one else looking at the three of them, it seemed Sato's outburst was almost expected by the rest of the students.

"Excuse me- let me through, please…"

His attention turned towards the door of the classroom. A short, freckled girl with short red hair was carrying what looked like a wrapped lunch box. She was making her way through groups of people towards his desk.

 _(Another one?)_

"You can't do anything without hiding behind your parents!" Sato raged on.

"Stop this!"

The redhead put her arm on Sato and prompted her to stop talking. Natsumi let out a small _tsk_. Hajime couldn't tell if she was angry at the student who just entered the classroom, or at the concept of being saved by someone else.

"Mahiru…" Sato murmured.

"Long time no see, Koizumi!" Natsumi piped with glee, "What does a girl from the Main Course need here?"

The girl blinked. "I just…"

"Did you come here to mock these talentless losers?"

As she spoke loudly, heads finally began to turn towards the four of them. Mahiru didn't know how to respond, and Sato simply gritted her teeth. Upon seeing all of the new attention, Natsumi smiled. This has gone too far.

"H-hey…" Hajime gulped, "Cut that out!"

Natsumi raised her head back. "Ku-hahahaha! I'm just messing with ya!"

"Your brother is in the same class as Mahiru." Sato pointed out.

"Yeah, and? Gonna tattle on me? Just try it."

Natsumi's eyes turned dark. Her mouth curled into a fierce snarl. Sato and Mahiru were taken aback by her threat. A dropped of sweat rolled down from the Ultimate's forehead. The rest of the class lost interest in their argument and turned away their heads. Hajime exhaled in relief.

"I'll kill you." The Kuzuryu said.

And there goes his relief.

"You haven't changed." Mahiru simply replied.

 _(She was like this when she was younger?!)_

The transferee glared at her. "You haven't changed since we were in the photography club! Still a shitty little goody two-shoes, secretly looking down on everyone!"

"Hey that's enough, dammit!" Hajime stood up.

Mahiru closed her eyes and pulled herself closer to Sato. She was clearly scared. He had never seen an Ultimate act so scared before. Regardless, Natsumi crossed the line a long time ago. It was time for them to return to a regular, boring break time.

"Are you so desperate to get into the Main Course that you'd pull down Mahiru to do it?" Sato spat, "You're the absolute worst!"

Natsumi's scowl turned into a disappointed frown and furled brow. It was hard to believe she would be so upset over being accused of something she wanted to do.

"If the Main Course didn't scout you, it means you have no talent!" She continued, "But you still don't get that… You need to learn your place!"

"Why you…" The transferee raised her first, preparing for a punch.

Mahiru jumped in between them. "That's… that's enough!" She whimpered.

The feisty blonde stared at Mahiru. Natsumi's fist was still in the air, still ready to strike the redhead. The freckled girl's entire body shook, bracing for the attack.

The attack never came. The Ultimate opened her eyes and placed both of her hands on Sato's shoulders. "Let's go." She suggested.

After Sato exchanged on last glare with Natsumi before being dragged off by Mahiru. The transferee clenched her fist, still shaking her arm in ire. The rest of the class exchanged some chuckles. Hajime sat down, exhausted by the entire ordeal.

"That bitch…" Natsumi breathed. "Who does she think she is..."

"Hey now." Hajime raised his hands in exasperation. "Let's calm down here."

Oddly, he found himself somewhat sympathizing with the new student. If someone told him to "know his place", he would be pissed off as well. He couldn't imagine what those words meant to the sister of the Kuzuryu heir. Of course, what Natsumi said wasn't justified either…

"Quiet, you…" She began to snap before taking a small pause.

"… Hajime." He interjected. "Hajime Hinata. You never gave me the chance to introduce myself."

"Huh, Hajime…" Natsumi repeated, "Sorry, I guess. Nice to meet you."

"I wish I could say the same…" Hajime mumbled under his breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing, I swear!" He raised both of his arms in surrender.

The girl sat back on the desk, incredulous. The two looked at each other in silence. It was hard to believe this innocent-looking girl had such an outburst a moment ago. Hajime slowly finished his bread and crumpled up the wrapper.

"Heh. Ok, 'Hajime Hinata'." Natsumi finally spoke. "You should feel honored to witness me accomplish what worthless people , like you, cannot!"

"Yeah, sure." He groaned, "Whatever. You do that."

He didn't know much about Mahiru, however she seemed like a kindhearted person. Natsumi acts a bit spoiled- nothing made her seem like a potential murderer though. That's just the Yakuza intimidation and mentality talking, or at least that's what he wanted to believe.

She narrowed her eyes. "And you better not get in my way!"

"Aha, alright then…"

Hajime sighed as Natsumi hopped off the desk and slowly returned to the front of the classroom. Someone with a personality like her would never make it into the Main Course anyways.

Nonetheless, there was something about her that was different from everyone else. Something other than being foul-mouthed, entitled, and making enemies on day one. She possessed determination.

 _(Maybe I should push the Hope's Peak project to her…)_

He laughed on the inside at the idea. She'd probably say something like "Wow, dumbass, you're really giving up a chance to become an Ultimate? What a loser!" or something along the lines of that.

It was another boring, uneventful day.

* * *

 **[7 DAYS UNTIL THE DEADLINE]**

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **Chapters come irregularly. Day 1 is only 3 000 words, but the remaining 9 chapters will be around 10 000 words each. We'll also get to see the POVs of the 77th class with Chiaki, Nagito, Fuyohiko, and all of the others. I hope you enjoy what I can produce!**

 **Reviews on how to improve are always welcome. If you like what you read, follow / favorite for updates.**


	2. Day 2: The Search for Hope

**A/N:**

 **Posted:** **February 25th, 2016**  
 **Last Updated: ****February 25th, 2016**  
 **Views as of Posting: 662**

 **We start with our first longer update! There are multiple POVs separated within this chapter. You should be able to tell whose perspective you are reading from the first paragraph every time it switches. I did not anticipate so many followers! I hope I will meet up to your expectations.**

 **That being said, a reason I am writing End of Twilight is to practice the romance genre. Any review or feedback throughout this fanfiction would help me immensely in improving my writing and this work!**

 **POVs this chapter are on the right of the title. There will be an indication to where a flashback begins in the middle of this story.**

 **One last note: Last chapter, we introduced you to Hajime's two "friends", Noboru and Mikio. These OCs are very minor and barely affect the story. There are some overlaps in this chapter with the original television series, but once again, they will disappear later in the story.**

 **Responses:** **  
Savage theron: Hajime and Kuzuryu going on Yakuza adventures? Interesting… They will definitely have more interaction later on.**

 **Now, onto the story…**

* * *

Day 2: The Search for Hope [Natsumi, Nagito, Chiaki]

 **[Natsumi, Thursday 8:17 A.M.]**

It was Thursday morning. Natsumi grumbled as she eventually caught up with her brother. In a way, it was always her dream to walk alongside him towards Hope's Peak Academy. A peculiar sense of inferiority tugged at that dream, making it oddly more painful when it was finally fulfilled. Fuyuhiko did not slacken his pace - he seemed equally uncomfortable walking with his sister to school for the first time.

As expected, she did not make many friends yesterday. There was no reason getting close to people she going to leave soon, after all. The blonde girl spent a majority of the class looking down at her desk and frantically writing down notes. Sato's occasional glares pissed her off more than she wanted to admit.

"So how was your first day of school?" Fuyuhiko said. He could no longer pretend he couldn't see Natsumi walking next to him.

"Dull." She replied, "I hope the Main Course is a lot more interesting than these retarded reserve kids."

"It gets better I guess." Her brother stretched his arms in the air.

"Wait, seriously?"

The words caught her off guard. Fuyuhiko was always muttering about how fucking stupid his instructor and "lunatic classmates" were. A hungover teacher and attendance record of less than a quarter of the students was pretty pathetic.

Fuyuhiko turned to her while walking. "Yeah, we got this new instructor. Ms. Chisa Yuki-something. The rest of those bastards actually started showing up to class."

"You mean you actually made friends?" Natsumi asked incredulously.

"I wouldn't call them my 'friends', but they're something." He shrugged, "For a teacher who used to be the Ultimate Housekeeper, I swear she has balls bigger than all those students combined."

"So what, everything is just 'dandy' in the 77th?"

"Yeah, I guess…"

The Primary Department was a force to be reckoned with if it could transform his antisocial brother. There were many questions she had. How are the practical exams? The facilities? Why does the main building seem to rumble occasionally?

 _(How much longer until they're looking for a replacement?)_

Before Natsumi had the time to ask, she found herself crossing the street alone. Her brother held his book bag defiantly as he watched her reach the other side. A light breeze was in the air, blowing her hair over her left eye.

"Hey, big brother!" She called, clearing her face. "What are you waiting for?"

"It's a red light." Fuyuhiko retorted, "You shouldn't cross."

"Always a stickler for the rules..." Natsumi jeered, "It's just jaywalking, dumbass."

Fuyuhiko ignored the remarks and crossed the street when the light finally changed. The girl observed him with an unimpressed expression. After a long silence as the continued walking, the heir of the Kuzuryu family finally spoke.

"I'll only break rules when I fucking have to."

"Yeah, yeah…" Natsumi scoffed, "Whatever you say."

"Always the damn joker, aren't you?"

The two Kuzuryu siblings made their way to the Hope's Peak Academy. The gates to the academy was just as filled with grandeur as she remembered yesterday. Students from both departments funneled into the entrance. A familiar person waited among a small group of people. The student waved at the both of them with a stoic expression on her face. Natsumi raised an eyebrow.

 _(Pekoyama's here early?)_

The group of students directed their gaze towards the siblings. Slowly, their expressions turned lighthearted. Fuyuhiko stopped walking before giving a small sigh of acceptance. He made his way towards the group.

"Fuyuhiko." Peko nodded, "Good morning."

The tall, young woman wore her iconic bamboo sword on her back. Hope's Peak Academy's very own Ultimate Swordswoman, taken in by the Kuzuryu Clan when she was just a baby. Natsumi folded her arms and puffed her cheeks.

Her brother paused. "Err, Peko, I thought you had an errand this morning."

"I finished it early, so I came here." The grey-haired girl tilted her head.

 _(So that's why they didn't walk together this morning...)_

"Yo! We've been waiting for ya, Fuyuhiko!" An athletic female student complained, "All we need is for Nekomaru to show up and we're all golden."

A frail, tall girl raised her voice. "Umm… he's p-probably in the washroom."

"No he isn't, filthy skank!" Another, petite blonde scowled, "That's the first place Teruteru checked!"

"A-ah! I'm s-sorry!"

Natsumi found it difficult to believe those degenerates were nearly considered friends by her older brother. The other girls hardly appeared to be Japan's best students, and the guys looked even worse…

 _(These braindead idiots aren't brainwashing Fuyuhiko, are they? What kind of weird people wait to meet up with their classmates?)_

"You guys didn't need to wait for me." Fuyuhiko snapped, "We need to get to class before we're late."

The girl stared at Fuyuhiko as he joined his classmates. That weird group was part of the Main Course. They didn't really seem different from regular high school students. A few looked back at her as they entered through the entrance, including the short and creepy one with the white chef's hat.

"Huh… I'll make it in." She muttered.

…

The homeroom door greeted Natsumi. She hadn't run into Sato or Mahiru on the way there. The few classmates already at their desks were conversing quietly or reading textbooks. The Kuzuryu plopped down on her desk near the back the same way she did yesterday. Hajime Hinata gave her a small nod and went back to staring at the main building, like a perplexed zoo animal peering out of its cage.

There was no reason for her to be confined in this stupid school. Peko Pekoyama made it to the Primary Department. Fuyuhiko made the cut on the exact same day. If they were blood relatives, why was she stuck with these talentless losers? She had proud Kuzuryu blood, and now she's in a second-rate social studies class.

Time passed and the room filled up. The teacher walked up to the front of the class and unbundled his lecture material. Hajime silently entered the room, putting his bag to the side. Sato reached her desk, ignoring Natsumi's antagonizing sneer.

"Eh, good morning class."

The balding, aged teacher coughed at the stand and flipped through the textbook. The students, as if they were all soulless machines, put their pens to the paper and started their work. Each one as unremarkable as the last.

"Today, we will be covering the rise of the Rikken Seiyukai. In 1900, the alliance between several members of the oligarchy from the Meiji Restoration and…"

The Kuzuryu girl groaned - though the day barely began, she already wanted it to end. The lecturer's words droned away, along with the rest of her attention.

* * *

 **[Nagito, Thursday 8:32 A.M.]**

It was another beautiful day at Hope's Peak Academy. The class were all discussing excitedly about what they were going to learn today. Instructor Chisa was a bit later than usual. The new teacher was never late, which worried some of her students.

Not the boy sitting next to the back of the class however. Why should one worry when they can hope instead? Nagito looked at sky in anticipation with what the new day was going to bring them. The clouds rolled slowly outside the window.

He wondered if anyone outside the Main Course was trying to transfer in. Of course, the odds of that happening would be astronomical. Not a single one succeeded in the last six years. However, if he could meet someone with such drive, such passion, such confidence in face of such improbable circumstances.

 _(How wonderful that would be!)_

"Hey, where the hell's teach?" Nekomaru complained, "She wouldn't have gathered us to class if she wasn't going to come, right? That's unacceptable!" The Ultimate Team Manager folded his arms in sharp disapproval.

"She's running a bit late" Chiaka replied, "… I think."

The Ultimate Gamer was rhythmically reaching button-to-button on her device, letting out a small yawn despite her aggressive finger pressing. Nagito had nothing but admiration for his new class representative.

Kazuichi face-palmed in exasperation. "Ya know Chiaki, I don't know if you're slow or just- lagging in the real world."

Just after the Ultimate Mechanic spoke, the door of the class opened of such speed it would have pulverized anyone who stood in front of it. Like a bolt of lightning, teacher Chisa Yukizome skid to the front of the class.

"Sorry class!" She blurted out, "Mr. Kizakura asked me to help out with organizing the school archives, so I was a bit behind!"

Fuyuhiko kicked back on his chair. "Better late than goddamn drunk."

"Hah." Mahiru sighed, "Imagine the outrage if people realized the government funds his type of faculty."

Ignoring her students' remarks on her colleagues, Instructor Chisa Yukizome pulled out an apron and tied it on with incredible speed. The instructor grabbed a piece of chalk and started writing madly on the chalkboard. The rest of the class took a few moments to process what was going on before frantically copying down all of the characters.

"Alright everyone! Since your last teacher left you way behind on the curriculum, you'll be busy these next few days! The Tokugawa Shogunate reunified the nation in the early seventeenth century, which controlled the country for over two hundred years…"

…

"… Unfortunately, the Edo period government was hit with the four-year Great Tenpo Famine during the reign of Emperor Ninko. That's all the time for today, so we'll cover that in our next history lecture!"

Nagito's hands felt absolutely exhausted by the time he finished copying down the final paragraph. Chalk dust started accumulating in the air, bringing forward a few coughs from the front row.

"Any questions?" She asked gleefully.

"Yeah." Fuyuhiko raised his hand, "What the hell was that, teach?"

The 77th class finished copying down the last sentence. More than a few gave out small exhales of reliefs. Instructor Chisa had somehow depleted half of the chalk at her disposal without breaking a sweat.

The white-haired boy stared down at his own notebook; it was impossible for someone as lowly as him to copy down absolutely everything. In her lecture, Instructor Chisa wrote walls of texts, three diagrams, and somehow a somewhat decent portrait of one of the emperors.

"That was over two century's worth of historical knowledge crammed into just less than four hours…" The teacher began counting on her fingers, "minus the three minutes I was late. Once we get caught up on history, we'll move onto sociology!"

"Huh? Sorry, I was asleep the last half-hour. Could anyone give me a follow-up?"

The Ultimate Animator, Ryota Mitarai, coughed himself awake. Perhaps it was because he was not used to seeing sunlight, or he was hungry. Nagito had trouble believing the boy was actually a student of the class.

"HA!" Gundham laughed, "Fear not, peasant. Learning all of this history is useless- for all shall be rewritten once the Tanaka Empire rises again!"

"I cannot disagree more!" Sonia Nevermind began breathing heavily with increased passion, "The history of this great nation is something all must learn! Miss Yukizome has blessed me with such knowledge this past lecture!"

"Yeah, it was totally awesome!" Ibuki jumped in, "She writes down history faster than I write songs. I didn't understand a lot of it, and that's exactly the same way people think about _my_ lyrics!"

While the students found themselves fractured over the subject of learning history, what united them was that they had learned little to nothing in the lecture. With the exception of Sonia, most of the others gave up. Chiaki was playing some samurai game at the back for the whole time.

"Hmm, okay, time for one of you to take a pop quiz then!" Yukizome said.

Fuyuhiko sank down in his chair, as if him appearing shorter meant a lower chance of being picked. She flipped open the textbook and her hand landed on a page in the middle. The teacher then looked up and pointed to the middle of the class.

"Nagito! Prepare yourself!" She smiled.

The Ultimate Lucky Student grinned, "Of course! I am so honored to be the chosen one!"

"Multiple choice question. During Nobunaga's reign, what-"

 _(Hmm, what answer does fate point me towards…?)_

"The third." Nagito blurted out.

"Excuse me?"

"The third multiple-choice option. In the book."

Instructor Chisa closed the textbook in shock. The class slowly all turned to face the lucky student, as if he was possessed. Nagito simply smirked and sat back as half of the class chuckled. His simple luck had prevailed yet again.

"Huh, I didn't even finish the question." She said, "How did you know it was the third answer? Did you memorize all of the questions in the book?"

Nagito explained "Lucky guess, maybe. It is my talent after all."

"A terrifying talent." Kazuichi whispered to himself at the side.

"And you just rely on your talent to get through everything at school?"

"I'll be honest, Ms. Yukizome." Nagito laughed sheepishly, "Even if you did finish the question, it wouldn't have helped me since I didn't really understand everything you taught us this lecture…"

Instead of taking offense, Chisa Yukizome buried her head into the textbook with mild annoyance. She had underestimated the Ultimate Lucky Student. Slowly putting the book back onto her lecture stand, the teacher smiled again.

"Huh. I knew Mr. Kizakura said this class was special, and now I know what he means!" She mused, "You guys cannot learn in the traditional lecture method!"

"That was the traditional method?!" Hiyoko burst out in wonder.

"Well, maybe a bit faster than usual, but yes." Instructor Chisa said, "I guess I shouldn't have been too surprised. You're just all a bunch of rotten oranges, after all! If you can't learn, I can't teach!"

The cheery statement hit the students particularly hard. Nagito and his friends in the 77th class looked at each other. All they ever needed to do in the academy was the pass the Practical Exam. It had been a long time ever since they last came to any sort of lecture. A sense of inferiority flooded the room, as the students realized they couldn't be taught like the regular students.

Peko closed her eyes and contemplated. "Perhaps it is our own incompetence that caused him to descend into alcoholism."

"I change my mind." Hiyoko whined, "I want our old drunk back!"

"I wouldn't mind if our current teacher started drinking…" Teruteru stroked his chin, trapped in another fantasy, "I know this amazing place down in-"

His response was met with a chalkboard eraser thrown from the Instructor Chisa's palm at maximum speed, hitting him square in the forehead. Teruteru fell out of the chair from the impact, landing on his back. An ultimate throw.

"Going a bit far again, Teruteru." The teacher leered, "Alright class, it's lunchtime already! I'll think of something for the next class, so don't worry!"

The teacher grabbed her materials and left the class briskly. The rest of the class crowded around Sonia Nevermind to copy down her completed notes, other than Akane, who pulled out a huge bento box and started chowing down.

The Ultimate Lucky Student scratched his forehead. Ms. Chisa Yukizome was not like anyone Nagito had never met before. He had been relying on luck to get around in life, especially after the death of his parents.

 _(Of course, so much has happened after then…)_

Nothing had never made him feel unsure before, except for this new teacher. What does she gain from getting the class together? There was no telling what surprises the new semester was going to bring. There was now something new to hope for.

"I'm looking forward to it!" He said to himself.

* * *

 **[Natsumi, Thursday 12:30 P.M.]**

The school bell finally rang, calling for lunch to begin. The homeroom teacher sluggishly began organizing his lecture materials before retreating to the staff room. Natsumi shot the old clock a glance and fumbled with her notebook. Now that the social studies classes were finished, only the languages, math, and science in remained.

The homeroom seemed a lot less notable than before. A cold draft came through an improperly fitted window next to the back of the class. The ceiling was aged, with a touch of black mildew growing on the corners of the class. They could not even clean up the class, since the teacher ran out of supplies.

"Hey."

"Eh?"

The girl twitched in surprise at the voice. The transfer student thought she made it perfectly clear that she was not interested in talking to anyone in the class. Then she looked up, and noticed it was that idiot.

"What do you want?" She asked.

"Well, you talked to me yesterday despite your annoyance at us all, so I thought might as well return the favor." Hajime said, folding his arms. "After all, you said you were set out to accomplish what we worthless students cannot."

"Yeah, and?"

"You said I was going to witness it yesterday, so here I am." He shrugged, "Witnessing."

 _(Does this guy have nothing else better to do?)_

Natsumi looked at Hajime as if he was speaking a different language. She originally joked about him not having any friends, but slowly, it was turning more likely to be true. After a short bout of silence, he opened his mouth again.

"What I meant to say was - how are you finding the lectures so far?"

"Huh, can't you just ask like a normal person?" Natsumi sneered.

Hajime blinked, "Well, after your 'unique' introduction yesterday I thought that was the way you always talked."

At the corner of her eye, the girl could catch two males standing adjacent to the two of them. They both had their lunches, and were observing them carefully. Surely they were too young to be police informants or hitters from a rival clan.

"Yeah, classes are boring. History is not going to help me get a job anyways. What do you expect, idiot?" She replied.

"Glad I'm not the only one who thinks that way…"

The girl shot a piercing gaze at the two boys spying on them. Their cover blown, the two students reluctantly approached Hajime. The darker-skinned one with glasses and short blow back hair gave a small wave. The other one was a taller, slightly pudgy boy with a spiky hairstyle and mild outbreak of acne.

"Hey Noboru, Mikio." Hajime greeted, "You guys are done with your project?"

"Uh, almost." The one with glasses gulped nervously, "We're taking a small break on it for now. Joining us for lunch?"

"Yeah." He said, "I'll catch up with you guys next to the entrance."

The two students seemed visibly uncomfortable in front of them; not quite anxious, but certainly uneasy. Natsumi glared back at both of them.

"Err, alright. We'll see you." The tall one sniffed, avoiding eye contact with her.

"Something wrong?" Hajime asked.

"Absolutely not!" The one with glasses interjected suddenly, elbowing the other, "We'll see you later then."

The two left as quickly as they came. Natsumi could feel Hinata's second-hand embarrassment after his two friends bolted out of the door with their lunches. It was not the first time people ran away from a member of the Kuzuryu Clan.

"Looks like you scare some people." Hajime commented.

"Used to it." She yawned, "What made you become friends with those Reserve Department losers?"

"They're in the top ten percent of the class." Hajime replied, "Hardly losers in my mind. I have a friend from the Primary Department as well."

 _(From the Primary Department? He cannot mean-)_

Natsumi's hand clenched into a fist as her eyes panned across the room. Sato was long gone; probably look for her putrid friend. Hajime would have gone with her, if they were going to meet with the same person, so-

"It's not her." Hajime groaned, "For someone who's so full of herself, I find it kind of weird someone else can anger you so much."

Natsumi giggled "Oh, Mahiru? Nah, I don't really care if you hang out with that bitch or not. I just don't like her attitude, looks, and overall intelligence."

"What did she do that made you think that? She seems pretty normal to me."

Normal? That no-good sad excuse of a tomato-headed ass was nothing of the kind. Mahiru had no remarkable personality that made her stand out. The transfer student tapped on her desk rhythmically as she thought about all the ways that girl was not worthy enough for the Primary Department.

"Nah, her entire existence just pisses me off." She concluded at last.

"Wow, you really do have a problem, don't you?"

"Huh?"

Hajime's sudden mood change from calm to annoyance caught her off-guard. Despite what happened yesterday between her and Sato, Hajime was the one who remained calm and indifferent throughout the entire situation.

"When I first met you, I thought you wanted to make an impression and stand out from the crowd, but it turns out you are just an insensitive prick."

"Insensitive?" she repeated, "Huh. You're more idiotic than I thought. When I say something, I goddamn mean it. That girl doesn't have the talent to be in the Primary Department any more than I do, and that's that!"

"And why?"

"Why should I tell you?"

As her voice rose, the other students in the class were beginning to eavesdrop into the conversation. Hajime rubbed his left eye and stepped back. After everyone lost interest in their exchange, he came back to her desk.

"Alright, sorry for asking them." He said quietly, "Have a good lunch."

"Screw off."

The transfer student watched Hajime slowly make his way past his classmates' desks and out of homeroom. Natsumi regretted ever communicating with him yesterday and took out her food: salmon, vegetables, and rice. None of it pricked her appetite.

She spent the entire lunch eating alone.

* * *

 **[Chiaki, Thursday 1:36 P.M.]**

For the second homeroom period in the afternoon, Instructor Chisa told everyone to "take it easy" as she finalizes their custom curriculum. She called these periods free time, where they could get to know each other more as classmates, then dismissed herself to the principal's office.

Upon learning they did not have to stay during free time, the first people to leave were Fuyuhiko and Peko. The rest of the 77th class stayed behind, not really knowing what to do. As class representative, Chiaki was put on the spot.

Kazuichi's 16K-resolution monitor was still laying around in the room but no one was in the mood for video games. Ryota suggested they all watch some odd anime, but he was shot down after the petite girl called him a "stinking low-life otaku."

"So, free time." Mahiru laughed callously, "That's just a way for the teacher to tell us she'll be taking off early today, right?"

 _(Oh no… it appears I have ran out of ideas.)_

"Well, I mean, yesterday we just played Bomber Guy and had Teruteru give us that Versailles-something stew." Akane sniffed, "Hey! You got any more of that stuff? It felt weird afterwards but it tasted pretty damn good!"

"I'm sorry…" Teruteru shrugged, "I'm all out, and Hiyoko ruined the last batch…"

The Ultimate Traditional Dancer sneered. "Yeah, yeah. Blame your shortcomings on anything _but_ your sleazy 'Ultimate' skill."

Chiaki and Sonia sat at the very front of the classroom; the Ultimate Princess volunteered to assist with planning, which the class rep. gladly accepted. Sonia appeared to be the leader-type anyways.

"Alright everyone!" The princess called, "Listen up! Since we still don't know everything about each other – especially after Teruteru nearly poisoned us all – we have no choice but to end class early!"

"Wait, really?" Chiaki asked in disbelief.

"Do not question Princess Sonia!" Kazuichi bursted out loud. "I will gladly be dismissed from any activity by her!"

The classmates clearly agreed, as they rolled into slow applause for the Ultimate Princess. The fact any of them came to class at all today was already a major achievement, so Chiaki did not intervene as they packed their things.

"Hey." Sonia Nevermind whispered to the Ultimate Gamer, "Maybe it's best to let everyone leave early; let them interact with each other. Some might even find love together, just like a Japanese teen drama!"

"Ah, I guess that works." Chiaki pouted, "Odd, I feel like I somehow received a game over this level."

"Nonsense!" Sonia's eyes twinkled as if she saw a Japanese-style men's room, "As they say in the Novoselic Kingdom, "The Makango can always be caught tomorrow!"

Chiaki paused. "Well, that proverb makes Europe seem like a very lazy continent."

"Interesting point!" The princess nodded vigorously, "If you want, I will gladly tell you more about the culture of the Greeks!"

Before Sonia could blurt out more about a different continent, the Ultimate Gamer packed up her things and said farewell. She had plenty of free time to practice for her match after school.

…

 **[Chiaki, Thursday 4:02 P.M.]**

Chiaki was waiting by the water fountain, rubbing her eyes in the dim sunlight. Somewhere in between the morning's crazy lecture, clouds retook the atmosphere on top of Hope's Peak. Ms. Yukizome ended the day's class much later than before, so he expected to be the second one to show up. Afternoon classes ended half an hour ago. It was almost four o'clock, yet her new friend was nowhere to be seen.

The girl pulled out her GGA and looked at the battery life. Forgetting to bring a charger was a gamer's worst nightmare- other than having their rivals be late. At the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Hajime Hinata sprinting towards her.

"Oi, Hajime!" She called.

"Yeah, yeah! Sorry I'm a bit late!" He panted.

He put his hands on his knees after reaching the fountain. His own blue PSP was hanging out of his book bag. Carrying such a precious device so dangerously made Chiaki raise an eyebrow. Her new friend was obviously not an experienced gamer.

"Did you bring the game?" She interrogated.

"Yeah, uh, Gala Omega II right?" Hajime reached for his own gaming device.

"Yup! Come on… take it out. Take it out!"

"Ah, jeez, give me a sec!"

Hajime and Chiaki found a place on the fountain to sit. They loaded up their games and tried selecting multiplayer mode after hastily fumbling around with the settings. Excited, the Ultimate Gamer zipped past the start screen.

"I haven't played this since an hour ago, so I am not warmed up." She admitted.

Hajime pressed the START button. "You mean I actually have a chance this time?"

"Maybe… Only one way to find out."

Five minutes into the game, Chiaki and Hajime made it to the final part of the challenge level. Only a few more platforms and enemies stood in their way as they raced for the final flag. Hajime's character, a man in lumbering blue samurai armor, frantically tried to evade all of the falling rocks from above. One hit the character's head.

"Crap." He spat.

Chiaki on the other hand effortless evaded all of the obstacles as her ninja character zoomed through the enemies, climbing and chopping away at the brigands. In no time, she reached the top and began sparring with the ultimate samurai boss.

Her fellow opponent caught sight of her progress and frantically tried to catch up. What resulted was the samurai missing a vital jump. The character fell into the large abyss below, and lost all of his health from the fall.

As Hajime tried resetting to the last checkpoint, the Ultimate Gamer easily defeated the large samurai and claimed the golden flag. A game-over screen appeared on Hajime's device. The game-over jingle was music to her ears.

"Ah, you beat me!" Hajime said, as if he were happy the game was finally over, "They don't call you the Ultimate Gamer for nothing…"

Chiaki bit her lower lip. "It's because you weren't focusing."

Hajime gave a quiet sigh of agreement.

"Did something happen?" She continued to press.

Her friend sighed again but did not say a word. His gaming performance has dissolved from a few days ago, when they were playing the original Gala Omega. Such a thing should never be possible. Chiaki exited her current game and started setting up a new one for herself.

"Hey Chiaki." Hajime finally spoke, "If you had no talent for games, what do you think you'd have done?"

"If I had no talent?" She said, madly pressing down on the buttons again.

"Like, if you always lost, no matter how long you played." He continued, "Or if they were too hard for you to figure out. I wonder if you'd still have had fun playing them…"

"Hmm…" Chiaka thought for a long time, partly clearing the first world, partly thinking about Hajime's question. "I think that would have been fun in its own way. I love games."

"Even if there were someone else with a talent for games that you could never beat?"

 _(He's taking this loss very hard for some reason. Maybe I should have let him win?)_

"There's more to life than just talent." She replied.

"Huh?"

Hajime turned to face her as if she spoke some sort of blasphemy.

"That was something Instructor Chisa told me but… Your life won't be interesting just because you have a talent." Chiaki said, grinning at her GGA, "By getting involved with others and making memories, hope, which is more important than talent, is born."

"Huh." Was all her new friend could manage to say.

"I have fun playing with you… I think." The Ultimate Gamer finished.

Hajime's eyes brightened as he reached some sort of bizarre epiphany. He took his eyes off her furious gaming and stared at the orange sky above. From what Chiaki could tell, she had convinced her friend to continue gaming.

"Right." He mused, "Yeah I feel the same way."

Chiaki finished the level, tying her high score from before.

"Okay. Let's keep going."

"Huh? This again? Let's play another game!"

"No. Next, we're going to do co-op." The Ultimate Gamer frowned.

"O-Okay!" A half-smile formed on Hajime's face, "Even without a talent, you can still have hope…"

 _(Maybe he will have the hope to beat me in Gala Omega one day…)_

Chiaki stifled a giggle at the thought and loaded up a new game. She did not know if she could believe her own words. She definitely would not have made it to Hope's Peak without her talent, and she would not have met Hajime and the rest of the 77th class.

She had no friend before transferring in, so there was no telling whom she would have hung out with in her old neighborhood. Chiaki discarded the troubling thought. There was a lot to do in the school year as class representative.

At least for now, she was happy she did not scare her new rival away. For the rest of the afternoon, Hajime's face slowly became more determined every time she decimated his character.

* * *

 **[Natsumi, several months ago]**

Three girls walked together to the school's post-wall. A small crowd had already gathered around the papers stapled onto the board. The new posts caused lots of noise – some gave each other high-fives while others looked on in desolation.

Two young teachers were caught in an unfortunate ring of students trying to ask them questions or for sympathy marks. The staff members shooed them away, saying all marks were final.

"Hey, the test scores are posted already." Sato tilted her head, "Want to check them out before returning to photography club?"

"Hmm?" Mahiru said, "Sure, why not?"

Natsumi followed her friends quietly as they approached the wall. At this point in the semester, school rankings rarely changed, but she thought it never hurt to check. Perhaps some idiot slacked off and dropped a few dozen ranks.

She scanned the board, starting from the right. A few of her other friends fell by a few places. She moved around, cursing at the taller boys at the front. Her eyes gleamed when she saw her own place.

 _(Yes! Up three places, finally in the Top Forty!)_

"Ehh." Sato laughed nervously, "I fell four..."

Mahiru was not much happier. "Geez, that must have been a hard midterm."

Natsumi looked for her friend on the wall - Mahiru landed on a straight seventy. The blond stifled a giggle of victory. The redhead stopped talking as she took her rumbling smartphone out of her pocket.

"Hey, guys." Mahiru said, "Let's get back to the club room."

"Anything to keep our mind off what I just saw." Sato agreed.

Natsumi grinned at her results. "Hehe, sounds good!"

Before they could walk a few steps from the board, one of the junior high students gave an excited screech; clearly he was one of the student who did not keep his pride hidden. Except was not the case. He had different news to share.

"Hey guys!" The boy shouted, "Hope's Peak Academy sent out its invitations today!"

A small subset of the group began taking out their phones and discussed with each other in anticipation. They were mostly the smart-asses. Most of the students rolled their eyes, having already given up hopes of acceptance.

"Heh, I hope I get in." Natsumi mused, "I mean, my brother got his acceptance, so I practically have a foot in the door!"

"Guys, who cares about that?" Mahiru interrupted, "Come on, we need to return these cameras before the club room gets locked!"

"But, what was that text earlier, Mahiru?" Sato teased, "Someone special?"

"Hah! No, but it's good news for sure."

Natsumi took out a flip-phone and quickly started typing a message to her family. Being a member of the Kuzuryu clan, their mailbox was in an obscure location. She hoped Fuyuhiko would tell her the good news.

"Girls, my mother said I got a letter!" Mahiru said, "It has Hope's Peak Academy's official seal on it."

 _(Wait did she just...)_

"Oh... Omigosh!" Sato jumped up and down, "Congratulations. You got in, right?"

"I- I think I did!" Mahiru squealed, "I got in!"

Her words did not have to travel far to provoke a reaction. The students typing vigorously with theirs phones immediately looked at the young redhead. About two dozen of them ran over with several questions.

"You got in? Amazing!" One of them said, "How did you get scouted?"

"Wow! I can't believe one of us actually made it to Hope's Peak!"

"What's your secret? What's your talent?"

The Kuzuryu girl's mind raced. Mahiru was the plainest of all the students at Light Forest Institute. The fact she got an acceptance boggled the Yakuza's mind. She waited patiently for her brother to text back. In a sense, it gave her a bit of respite. If someone as average as her friend Mahiru gets in, then anyone could!

"Aha... I haven't opened the letter yet." Mahiru scratched the back of her head, unready to become the school's celebrity. "My mom just got it."

"Hey, everyone!" Sato yelled, "Give my friend some space. We have a club to go to!"

Her words only elicited more question from the students. Before she could open her mouth, Mahiru was dragged out of the crowd by Sato to a safe distance. Natsumi bounced along with them, still looking at her phone.

It played its small jingle.

The girl opened the flip-phone and looked at it. It was a message from Fuyuhiko. Her heart pumped faster and faster as she thought about going to the same institution as her brother. She opened the message and-

CONTACT: FUYUHIKO KUZURYU  
MESSAGE: NO MAIL TODAY. FATHER COMING HOME LATE.

 _(No... It can't be...)_

"Huh..." Natsumi muttered.

Perhaps the mailman got delayed. Perhaps they still did not do the Lucky Student draw. Either way, there was nothing she could do about it. She thought if she could lie to herself enough, the disappointment would go away. At the very least, she had a camera and had a few more minutes to practice shooting pictures.

"I still can't believe it!" Sato rambled on. "I'm going to be friends with a Hope's Peak graduate! Has your mom to open it yet? Any idea of what your talent is? Tell me instead of those creepy nerds back there!"

"It's what we're doing right now!" Mahiru smiled, "Sato, Natsumi. I am now- wait for it... Hope's Peak Academy's Ultimate Photographer!"

Sato clapped her hands. "Kyaa! Incredible I know you could do it!"

"Son of a bitch." Natsumi murmured.

The Kuzuryu girl could not take it anymore. The girl threw her expensive camera onto the ground. The lens glass shattered, leaving a few broken shards at her shoes. Sato jumped away instinctively.

"Woah, whoa!" Mahiru exclaimed, "What's wrong with you? That's an expensive camera!"

"You're the one with the problem!" Natsumi seethed, "How the hell did you get in, and I didn't? What makes you a better photographer than me?"

"Hey cut it out Natz." Sato shrugged, "Some people are just born talented."

The long-haired "friend" did not know what she was talking about. Father Kuzuryu spent tens of thousands of yen getting his daughter photography lessons. Natsumi also outperformed her in class, for two whole semesters.

 _(Then, why am I not the one accepted instead?)_

"I guess their admissions team just liked my photos more." The redhead suggested, "You're a pretty good photographer too Natsumi.

"I should have been Ultimate Photographer!" The blonde continued, "I put in so much effort, just to be racketeered?"

"Hey, Mahiru is talented so good photography comes naturally to her." Sato yawned, squatting to inspect the broken camera. "We should be happy she got in!"

As if it were not humiliating enough to admit she was denied from Hope's Peak, the long-haired jerk just had to rub it in her face. Natsumi grunted and kneeled down to clean up her mess. She could imagine how her family would react at home. Fuyuhiko would not make such a big deal about it, but she silently knew she was a disgrace to the clan.

"I... I can still make it in." Natsumi said.

"With what talent?" Sato coughed, "Ultimate Little Sister or something stupid like that? Just let it go girl. You're being ridiculous."

"Are you mocking me?" The blonde girl bit her lower lip, "You don't understand how much pressure I had to go through!"

Natsumi stood up and turned her hands into fists. The redhead took a step back, unsure of what she would do. She raised up both arms in an attempt to calm the Kuzuryu down, while Sato looked on in disbelief.

"Let's cool down for a second. Both of you." Mahiru said. "We'll clean up the shards and call it a day alright? We can eat lunch together tomorrow."

"Fine." Natsumi growled, "I'll talk to our supervisor about the repairs..."

Mahiru ran off to get a dustpan from the custodian's office. After she scurried off, her two friends tried their best to kick the glass into a small pile. Sato narrowed her eyes when they stood up and admired the fine mess.

"Natsumi, just admit it. Your pictures are inferior." She said, "You might be a member of a scary gang, but you can't buy talent with your criminal money."

"Shut up." The girl retorted, "I put in effort. You don't understand because you never try!"

"I already know my place in life." Sato said, "Life would be a lot happier if you understood your own limitations."

Limitations. Natsumi hated the word. She already accepted her brother would accept the throne of the clan. From when she was little, mother told her she could be anything she wanted. That world was shattered like the camera in front of her.

 _(But, maybe we should settle this another day...)_

"You're right." Natsumi folded her arms, "I guess I was a bit immature."

"So, will you apologize to Mahiru?"

"Maybe..."

The two girls stared each other down, waiting to see if the other was about to make a move. When the redhead finally came back, they looked away from each other. Natsumi grabbed the dustpan and swept up the glass. The Ultimate Photographer tried giving her an encouraging smile.

Little did they know, it was one of the last times they were together as friends.

* * *

 **[Nagito, Thursday 4:23 P.M]**

"So this is what Instructor Chisa considers free-time?" Nagito took a sip of soda he won from a vending machine, "Interesting."

Most of the class went home, except for the select few who had clubs. The only people who remained were Teruteru, Sonia, Fuyuhiko, and Nagito. The Ultimate Cook himself invited them to help him practice for the practical exam.

Teruteru was cutting up vegetables and spices at an amazing rate. He grabbed some cold butter and savory chicken breast to pound. The others inspected the kitchen carefully for Hiyoko or any funny potions.

"Sorry it's taking so long guys." Teruteru said, "There were a bit more of you than I expected."

It happened all very quickly. At first, the Ultimate Cook invited only Fuyuhiko to try his food. Nagito just happened to be lucky enough to overhear the conversation and requested attendance. Recalling the previous "incident" with Teruteru's cooking, Princess Sonia tagged along as well. She wanted to monitor how the food was being cooked. Obviously, Teruteru could not refuse.

"What's on the menu, chef?" Fuyuhiko said.

"Kotleta po-kyivsky." The cook proudly announced, "You'll love it."

"The hell's that?"

"Oh, I know!" Sonia interrupted, "That's Ukrainian for Kiev-Style Chicken! It's very popular among post-Soviet states and was made since the eighteen-hundreds!"

 _(What amazing talent! As expected of-)_

"Yes, mademoiselle!" Teruteru exclaimed, "Did you fancy this dish in the past?"

"Quite not." The princess replied bluntly, "I am sadly not fond of plebeian food."

"Understood. I shall get rid of this meal immediately!"

The Ultimate Cook shed an invisible tear as he took the stuffed chicken breast and prepared to throw it into the garbage. Fuyuhiko managed to get in front of the can in time to intercept the dish.

"No!" He shouted. "Are you mad, getting rid of perfectly fine food? Some people in my family would kill for this chicken-shit thing!"

"But... but she said she wanted something else."

"It's fine Teruteru." Sonia said, "You are the head cook, and I will have anything you serve me that is not tampered with!"

The Ultimate Cook finished baking the stuffed chicken and brought it out to the cafeteria table, where everyone sat down. The three boys dug in. Nagito dug his teeth into the rich meet. The juicy flavor flowed in his mouth.

Sonia was the only one who did not eat yes.

"Come on my little croissant." Teruteru urged, "Why are you not eating?"

"It is Novoselic tradition for the royalty to eat last." Sonia explained, "The guards taste-test the food first for poison!"

Fuyuhiko stopped chewing after hearing the princess's words and swallowed nervously. He then got out of his seat and grabbed Teruteru by his shirt collar. Nagito calmly enjoyed another bite of the exotic dish.

"Hey bastard!" Fuyuhiko got riled up again, "I swear, if you poison me, the entire Kuzuryu family will hunt you down and throw you off this school's roof!"

"Eep!" The cook shrieked, "The food is fine! You saw me cook it right? Why are you all suspecting me of trying to kill everybody?"

From the corner of his eye, Nagito caught Princess Sonia flashing a mischievous wink. It appeared that toying with the servants was another tradition from her tiny country. Fuyuhiko dropped the man by the collar and sat back down.

"This dish is alright." The Ultimate Lucky Student said, "Passable."

"Yeah, it's really good." The Ultimate Yakuza sighed, "Still prefer noodles though."

"I suppose I must dig in then." The Ultimate Princess declared.

Sonia took the breaded chicken and observed every minute detail she cut out a piece and stabbed it with her fork. Lifting the meat, the princess opened her mouth and popped it in like a biscuit. Teruteru watched anxiously as she chewed.

"Not bad." She beamed, "Certainly tastes like the real thing."

"What! 'Not bad' is absolutely unacceptable. I must create a better dish?"

Teruteru let out a breath of relief. He went back to the kitchen to clean up the utensils and to fire up another dish. While he was gone, the Ultimate Lucky Student leaned forward to the table and whispered to the others.

"Hey Fuyuhiko, nice acting." Nagito whispered.

"What are you talking about?" The Kuzuryu retorted, "It was a good dish! You guys are too harsh in your assessments!"

"Give him a minute." Sonia nodded.

Fuyuhiko closed his mouth and thought hard. Sonia and Nagito leaned back on their chairs, waiting for him to reach a conclusion. The gangster sat up and looked at them in surprise – he figured out their ruse.

"You guys are going to tell him his food sucks so he brings you more, right?" He accused, "Cheeky little devils!"

"It was a white lie." Nagito reasoned. "If we tell him his cooking is already good enough, he will never improve."

"Well put!" Sonia added. "We are here to make sure Teruteru passes his practical exam no matter what!"

 _(Yes, err... that is totally the reason!)_

Fuyuhiko sat down, shaking his head. "I'm honestly surprised. You two were not the type of people I expected to pull off this bullshit. But... well done."

"It's good to trust others but, not to do so is much better!" The girl explained happily. "That was a quote by a famous twentieth-century Italian Prime Minister, Benito Mussolini!"

 _(Not exactly an exemplary role model...)_

Teruteru came back eventually, this time with a large multicolored cake. It was completely massive – enough for a table of eight. The three Ultimates at the table began regretting their strategy of getting more food.

"Alright guys, dig in!" The Ultimate Cook demanded, "Gateau des rois from yours truly! I'm not going to stop making dishes until you're all satisfied!"

…

With great difficulty, the four of them managed to finish all of desert. Fuyuhiko, whose body was not as durable as Nekomaru's or as flexible as Akane's, felt absolutely disgusted after eating. Sonia and Nagito felt the exact same way; their stomachs having been absolutely filled with food.

"So how was it guys?" Teruteru asked excitedly.

"G-great." Princess Sonia coughed, "You've certainly improved, Teruteru."

"Yeah." Nagito nodded, "I am crying tears of joy."

The Ultimate Lucky Student furled a brow. "Not good enough. Give us another!"

Teruteru's arms shook at the words. Nagito tried suppressing a burp before objecting, but the massive cake made him too sick to respond. Just looking at the empty plates in front of him created a nauseous feeling.

"M-more?" Teruteru complained, "Am I really that incompetent of a chef?"

"No, no!" Sonia reassured, "You are an amazing cook! Please, no more food!"

Fuyuhiko smirked at his fellow classmates. All of them set their utensils down in contemplation. The Ultimate Lucky Student and Ultimate Princess admitted defeat. They were totally at the mercy of the Kuzuryu Clan.

"Never mind, it's good." He said. "I like it."

"Kate Upton! I never thought I'd hear those words tonight." Teruteru proudly declared. "Then, Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu, I have another question for you."

"Go ahead, you earned it."

Nagito tapped his foot on the ground, taking interest in their conversation. After all, Teruteru had only originally invited Fuyuhiko to test his cooking. Whatever he had in mind must have been pretty important.

"That blonde girl who was walking with you to school this morning." The Ultimate Cook questioned, "She goes to this school right? Who is she?"

"Take a guess, asshole." Fuyuhiko crossed his arms.

"Hmm, new student? She has a mighty fine complexion..."

With that, Fuyuhiko delivered a hefty roundhouse kick to Teruteru's back, causing him to fall over on the cafeteria floor. Sonia got up immediately to provide medical attention. It appeared the Ultimate was used to that kind of abuse.

"Why did you kick me?" Teruteru cried, "That was the least perverted thing I said all day, I promise!"

"Not that, asshole!" Fuyuhiko retorted, "That's my damn sister!"

 _(Fuyuhiko's little sister?)_

"Ah, a family dynasty!" Sonia clapped her hands together, "Wonderful!"

"She is your little sister?" The Ultimate Cook stroked his chin, "Wow... Why couldn't you have inherited such amazing features? My tastes are pretty open, y'kn- gawk!"

The cook was kicked again, this time with much less sympathy. Sonia helped the little masochistic man up and helped dusted off his uniform. It was getting late, so Nagito began collecting all the dishes and left-overs. Fuyuhiko began storming out of the room in disbelief.

"You invited me here just to get more information about my sister? All three of you have disgusting. No wondering I can't be friends with you degenerates!" He said, "Goodbye!"

While it certainly hurt to be described that way by a Yakuza, none of the three Ultimates minded. When the short student was out of hearing range, they bursted into laughter. Princess Sonia helped carry the utensils back to the kitchen.

"That was honestly amazing food Teruteru." She said, "Thank you for such a filling meal."

"Thank you. Mademoiselle." Teruteru took off his chef's hat and bowed, "Come to me anytime if you need another type of meal..."

Sonia pretended not to hear a single word of his reply. As the three of then cleaned up for the day, the endless cupboards were hard to organize with, but the students managed. Nagito hummed happily to himself. He never knew Fuyuhiko's little sister was coming to Hope's Peak Academy.

 _(She must be in the reserve course them. Could she be the first student to make it to the Primary Department? I must keep an eye on her...)_

* * *

 **[Natsumi, Thursday 5:19 P.M]**

The transfer student sat under a tree in the yard with a calculus textbook in front of her face. Beyond the plant and its shade was Hope's Peak Academy's photography club. The club has expanded greatly with the influx of Reserve Course students.

Of course, the Ultimate Photographer Mahiru and the Ultimate Bitch Sato were the damn centerpieces of the whole enterprise. They had their fancy DSLR cameras and were comparing photographs they took abroad over the break.

Natsumi thought back to the times she and the other two were friends. Mahiru was by far the best landscape photographer, while she and Sato specialized in urban photography. The Kuzuryu was also briefly interested in forensic imaging, but got bored a looking at the bodies of rival clans after a while.

"Hey, Mahiru!" Sato called. "Mind if I take a few photos of you? The sky is looking beautiful today?"

"Eh, you sure?" The Ultimate Photographer said, "Alright then, come over here!"

They might have actually still been good friends. True, they had a brief falling out when they first learned the redhead was accepted into the Primary Department. They got over that pretty quickly. What happened a few days after that, however, Natsumi could not forgive.

"Yeah, hold that pose!" Sato said. "Perfect."

 _(Wait, what was it that I could not forgive?)_

She only remembered what happened on the day her former friend got accepted to Hope's Peak. The club members were gathering together, wondering where to take group photos for the new freshman.

"Alright guys. Smile! You're new members of the photography club!"

 _(Did I actually forget why I hate them? I am such a mess...)_

Not wanting to see any more of the club, Natsumi got up from under the thick tree and made her way back to the shoe lockers. She needed to get back to her family, before Fuyuhiko and Father Kuzuryu got mad again.

…

The plan was quickly foiled as he heard some footsteps approach her in the hallway. Turning to see what was pursuing her, Natsumi caught sight of Sato walking over with a stern expression on her face.

"Hey!" Sato called, "I saw you spying on us in the yard. Stop getting in Mahiru's way!" The girl eventually got in front of her, gritting her teeth intimidatingly.

Natsumi paused. "Why hello to you too."

"I'm telling you your underhanded methods won't get you anywhere now! No matter how important you are, even if you're the Yakuza's daughter, you'll never be a match for her talent."

"Huh? I don't know what you're getting at!" the transfer student replied curtly, "I don't want to hear anything from a moron who trails after her like goldfish poop!"

"Why you…"

"Stop that!" A voice came out.

The girl closed her eyes - fully prepared to take Sato's hit. Natsumi could guess it was the shitty personality that made them enemies in the first place. The strike never came, prompting the girl to see what was going on. The infamous Hajime Hinata had entered the scene. The eavesdropper managed to leap forward in time to grab Sato's arm mid swing.

"Try that again." Natsumi threatened, "Next time, I'll kill you."

 _(D-dammit, why did I say that?)_

The words came out automatically in face of danger, as taught in the Kuzuryu Clan. Before she could blurt out something else awkwardly, the transfer student tried walking away, cool and collected like the daughter of a clan would. When she was out of sight, her walk turned into a run. She did not understand why, but she needed to get out of the place as soon as possible.

"Kuzuryu! Wait, Kuzuryu!"

Sato did not pursue further. Natsumi stopped running at one of the bridges between the Reserve Couse buildings. A golden evening sunset greeted her, keeping her remaining sanity intact. She leaned against the green railing of the bridge. In the distance, the Main Building was beyond some trees and a large school road.

So close, yet so far out of reach.

"Natsumi!" That voice came again. Hajime ran over to the girl, panting.

"What." She asked.

"That was just intimidation!" He complained. "Stop acting like that!"

The girl did not enjoy being lectured to. "B-buzz off..." She responded. "You're just a useless Reserve Course student. Don't get preachy with me."

 _(If I needed help, I would have gone to a shrine a long time ago.)_

"You won't get into the Main Course. They'll chuck you out of the Reserve Course! Are you okay with that?"

"Shut up!" Natsumi shouted, "I've told you already. I'll definitely go to the main course! Definitely..."

A few tears were forming at the edges of Natsumi's eyes. Hajime's words sounded eerily similar to the ones Sato said, the day she smashed the camera. She felt her heart weirdly twist at his words.

"Definitely..."

She held back her crying the best she could. She was a Kuzuryu, known for their nonexistent tear ducts. She wiped her face with her sleeve and continued staring at the main building in the distance.

 _(Why does a nobody like Hajime telling me that... hurt me so much?)_

"Why are you so obsessed with the Main Course?" The boy asked, not knowing what else to say.

"My brother's the Ultimate Yakuza. If I'm not the Ultimate Little Sister, I'll get left behind. I don't want that..."

"I understand. It must feel lonely, being left behind."

Natsumi glared at her classmate, but was intrigued enough to continue listening. She never opened herself to anyone before, and if it was someone as plain as Hajime, maybe he could understand to some degree.

"But..." He continued, "I think there are other things just as important as talent."

"What are you on about?" The transfer student chided. "There's nothing as important as talent."

"You love your brother, right? Even if you have no talent, you can stay with him and make memories together."

 _(As expected, useless.)_

"Talentless people have no right to be with my brother!" Natsumi cringed. "I want something to be proud of, not to always look up to him.

"I want to stand by myself." She continued "If they'll recognize me as the Ultimate Little Sister, I can be... useful."

Hajime stopped talking and look at the building with her. They were two people, looking for the same goal, running towards the same line. The transfer student thought the only thing they shared was the desolate feeling of loneliness.

"Hey, Natsumi. I think I have a plan." Hajime said suddenly.

"Huh?"

"What if I helped you become the Ultimate Little Sister?"

* * *

 **[6 DAYS UNTIL THE DEADLINE]**

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for reading!**

 **Don't worry if you're grossed out by Teruteru haha. He's mainly here just so Nagito can learn about Natsumi's appearance. As he has thought, things could get very interesting indeed.**

 **I have no idea when the next chapter comes out, but rest assured it would not take as long as this one. Lots of references to the Despair Arc TV series - hope I make the connections in a cool way!**

 **Reviews on how to improve are always welcome. If you like what you read, follow / favorite for updates.**


End file.
